STORIES FROM THE WEB

The Stat Line Of The Night — 2/20/11 — Kobe Bryant

Playing in front of the hometown crowd at the Staples Center, Kobe Bryant had only two things on his mind once they tipped-off the 2011 NBA All-Star Game; win the game and capture honors as the Most Valuable Player. Not only would he accomplish both feats, but he would do so in a rather impressive fashion.

Bryant scored a game-high 37 points to go along with 14 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. He would get off to a hot start, scoring 21 of his points in the opening half. Several of those points came off highlight reel dunks, as he helped the West get out to a 76-64 lead at the break. They would eventually hold on to win by a score of 148-143, despite a final flurry from LeBron James that saw him complete the triple-double, with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

The MVP was Kobe Bryant’s fourth of his career, tying him for the most All-Star Game MVP honors with Bob Pettit. His Lakers have struggled lately, heading into the All-Star break losers of their last three in a row. They currently sit in third in the Western Conference. If they want to improve upon that position down the final stretch, they will need more great performance like this from Kobe, who earns our “Stat Line of the Night” for Sunday, February 20, 2011.